Artist: Psycroptic
Title: The Inherited Repression
Type: Album
Label: Nuclear Blast
The prolific, brutal yet technical death metal maestros from Down Under return with their fifth full length album. For those unfamiliar with the band, Psycroptic are the epitome of what is normally called technical death metal; brutal, heavy death metal, yet with all sorts of technical twists, turns and leaps in it, more often than not featuring some incredible instrument gymnastics. Tech Death as it was sometimes also known was quite a trend a few years ago; every man and his dog (well maybe not his dog) seemed to be forming a death metal band which sounded like the music was played by a collection of spastic octopi on 8 string guitars.
Hats off to Psycroptic then, for sticking to the music that they always played, regardless of whether it was trendy or not. A small hat will also be raised for Nuclear Blast for making a wise and unusually non-commercial choice of sticking with this highly talented and individual band. For Psycroptic aren’t your average zillion-blasts-a-minute, hands all over the place technical death metal band.
For a start, they haven’t sacrificed music for brutality, unlike some other bands. Rather than blasting out a frenetic, furious flurry of notes throughout the album, they actually take the time to let the music breathe, and it is a good job, because there really are some amazing, gargantuan riffs on this album! There is the usual guitar athleticism that you would expect from this type of band, including some incredibly complex single-note riffs that only a multi-armed creature could play, but there are also some great, simple, crushing heavy riffs which could induce some serious neck damage to the unwary. They are also progressive in the true sense of the word, and clearly keen to experiment, adding a wide variety of influences, including some touches of black metal here and there, a slight industrial flavour, and also some psychedelic tinges.
Unlike some other bands from this genre, Psycroptic somehow never stray into self-indulgent territory, and rather than play six minute guitar solos, concentrate on smashing the hell out of you with their songs. It really is riff after riff, which makes for some great heavy moments throughout the album. The problem with this genre as a whole is that it also means that the music is not all that memorable. Psycroptic consistently impress with their technical prowess, and their ability to construct fantastic riffs, epic moments and neck-breaking heaviness, but somehow it just doesn’t stick in your brain after you’ve heard it.
For fans of the band, this album is very much business as usual. The Tasmanian technical tearaways mix it up with their gymnastic, quick fire, single note riffs, heavy, crushing moments, progressive leanings and esoteric lyrics, just as they did on Ob(Servant). One marked improvement on this album however, is Jason Peppiatt’s vocals. The previous album got a lot of stick for his vocal approach, which some found incredibly grating. I am pleased to report that his vocals are a lot more consistent on this new opus, and occupy a satisfying middle ground between throaty yelling and a death growl, which blends nicely with the technical, heavy mayhem surrounding it.
I have no idea if this album will make them any new fans, but if you like your death metal, technical, adventurous, and packed full of fantastic riffs, you should really give `The Inherited Repression’ a listen.
Jon Butlin
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